Sept. 29, 2015 by The Collegiate Times

111th YEAR, ISSUE 125

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September 29, 2015

COLLEGIATETIMES An independent, student-run newspaper serving the Virginia Tech community since 1903

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Mulaney to visit Tech on Oct. 22 PAYTON KNOBELOCH lifestyles editor

According to his website, comedian John Mulaney will visit Blacksburg on Thursday, Oct. 22, which falls within Homecoming week. The stand-up comedian wrote for “Saturday Night Live” for six consecutive seasons, beginning in 2006. There, he won the 2011 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics with “Justin Timberlake Monologue.” He also joined forces with cast member Bill Hader to co-create fan favorite character Stefon. Mulaney has two stand-up specials under his belt, 2009’s “The Top Part” and 2012’s “New in Town.” The latter is now available on Netflix, where Mulaney has his next special, “The Comeback Kid,” scheduled to premiere on Nov. 13. He’s also appeared on several comedy series including “Kroll Show” and “The Jeselnik Offensive.”

Bucky Hodges (7) falls to the ground after dropping a pass on fourth down late in the fourth quarter in a loss against ECU, Sept. 26, 2015.

Headed in the wrong direction After losing to East Carolina for the second season in a row, there are serious issues with Tech’s program and its leader. RICKY LABLUE editor in chief

Few things were messier than the field at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium at East Carolina on Saturday. The rain started just before kickoff and continued all the way through the end of the game. There was one thing, however, that was messier, and that was Virginia Tech’s performance. The Hokies, fresh off of two uplifting wins over Furman and Purdue, looked out of sync in all three phases of the game. Tech scored 14 points in the first quarter but allowed 17 unanswered points before halftime and lost to the Pirates 35-28 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score would lead one to believe. The Hokies, who lead the ACC in penalties, committed another 11 penalties for 89 yards. The defense was gashed by East Carolina’s backup quarterback James Summers for 179 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Summers also threw a touchdown pass. After the game, head coach Frank Beamer told reporters that the nonconference schedule doesn’t matter. ”They’re exhibition games, they’re

preseason games. Now it’s on to conference games. Now it’s down to being really important,” Beamer said. Perhaps Beamer chose his words poorly, but this mindset is a huge issue. Virginia Tech has been relatively irrelevant on the national stage since 2011. The Hokies haven’t had a 10-win season since that year, when they played Michigan in the Sugar Bowl. The 2012 season ended an eight-year streak of 10 or more wins. The Hokies barely qualified for a bowl game that season, and it’s been no different since then. In 2013, Virginia Tech went 8-4 against a weak ACC, only to get blasted by UCLA in the Sun Bowl. The Hokies won the Military Bowl last season, but they barely qualified after a win at home against in-state rival U.Va. The mindset that non-conference games don’t matter makes even less sense given the Hokies’ current situation. Starting quarterback Michael Brewer and cornerback Kendall Fuller are out, along with Tech’s starting middle linebacker Andrew Motuapuaka. The Hokies are 2-2 heading into a home game versus

ZACK WASJGRAS / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Coach Frank Beamer walks away from an ofﬁcial after arguing about a fumbled punt return by ECU that was ruled a touchback. Pittsburgh, which looked like a walk in the park just last week. Now, everything has changed. Winning the ACC this season was a solid goal, but some national experts thought the Hokies had an outside chance to make the College Football Playoff. They went neck and neck with

NICK MILLER • weather correspondent • @HOKIEwxWATCH

see HOKIES / page 7

Wake up with International Coffee Day

e observed quite a bit of rain throughout the weekend, and we can expect that moisture to stick around for a few more days due to low pressure remaining over our region. Rain will continue today with chances increasing as we move throughout the day. Overcast conditions will keep temperatures cool with highs in the lower 70s and overnight lows in the lower 60s. Wednesday will see morning showers with high temperatures in the upper 60s. Showers are expected to decrease during the afternoon hours with overnight low temperatures dropping into the low 60s. Thursday, there is still a chance of a drizzle or a spotty shower. Temperatures will be cooler with a high in the mid-60s and a low temperature in the mid-50s. As the rest of the system passes by, expect rain chances to continue later into the week. For all your updates on the current and future conditions, be sure to follow us on Twitter @HOKIEwxWATCH!

the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes until losing Michael Brewer. Even after the loss, Tech was still considered to be a solid team who just got run over by arguably the best team in college football ever.

LAUREN PAK lifestyles staff writer

ZACK WAJSGRAS / COLLEGIATE TIMES

The frame for VTRally’s sand vehicle sits on a table inside the Ware Lab as team co-captain Sam Paras works on his computer, Sept. 28, 2015.

VTRally’s off-road race car team enters the ﬁnal lap LAUREN PAK news staff writer

VT Rally is a team of 25 Virginia Tech senior mechanical engineers designing and building an off-road race car from scratch for a senior capstone project. They will be racing their car in the Method Race Wheels Laughlin Desert Classic in Laughlin, Nevada, from May 5-8, 2016. The idea began in 2013, and the vehicle will debut on the racetrack for the first time in the spring. John B. Ferris, Ph.D., the director of the vehicle terrain performance laboratory of Virginia Tech, is overseeing the team as the academic advisor. Alec

Jones and Sam Paras, both mechanical engineering majors, are co-captains of the team. “You have classes all day, sitting in a classroom, listening to professors, staring at a computer, and then, at the end of the day, you get to go and hang out with a bunch of relaxed people that are fun to be around, and you get to get your hands dirty a little bit and mess around with the car,” said Tess Robinson, who is part of the engine and drivetrain sub-team. “It completely relieves all the stress and makes you feel better.” VTRally is comprised of th ree sub-teams: chassis and suspension, engine and drivetrain, and

controls and electrical, in addition to a marketing team. The small size of the VTRally team allows for easy collaboration and familiarity. “It’s only in its third year, so being a part of something that’s new and trying to match the quality of the build of the other teams is something that we want to do, but also staying true to our values,” said Jonathan Alabran, a member of the controls and electrical sub-team. “It’s really cool to be able to go to the western half of the country where there’s probably people out there who have no idea what Virginia Tech is, so I think see RACE / page 3

ONE-ON-ONE WITH TREVOR SCHMIDT

FOOD TRUCKS TAKE CHRISTIANSBURG

A Hokie placed third in the Air Force Marathon.

Food truck festival attracts both exotic and local food.

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The first official day of fall was last week, which means it is now acceptable (kind of) to order pumpkin-flavored everything. Thursday, Oct. 1 is national coffee day, and rainy weather is forecasted for Blacksburg all week long, making this the perfect time to explore coffee shops and cafes around town. Beginning with on-campus options, Virginia Tech students can use their dining plans at Deet’s Place. Seasonal and classic favorites include their pumpkin pie latte, pumpkin pie chai and the Swanson special, which was a student original, mixing hot chocolate, the Deet’s house blend Hokie coffee, steamed milk, whipped cream and sugar. Deet’s place offers six regularly-rotated flavors and seasonal flavors like gingerbread and peppermint for the holiday season. Imported from Brazil, Mexico, Guatemala, Africa and more, all beans are roasted in-house behind the counter at Deet’s and distributed th roughout c a m p u s, including to Dietrick Hall and West End. “We have to watch what temperature and change the gas levels and change how the air flows through

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the roaster in order to get the best roast,” said Kaitlin McKenna, a junior hospitality and tourism major and the general student manager at Deet’s. “A lot of places, like a Starbucks, would not roast their own coffee; they’d roast it elsewhere and get it sent to the stores themselves, but we roast it in-house.” McKenna also explains a common misconception in that darker coffee does not necessarily have more caffeine. One of Deet’s current specials is the single-origin elephant bean, the “maragogipe,” which McKenna explained as a mutant bean originating in Brazil. Its taste is unique but hasn’t reached a consensus, inviting coffee enthusiasts in to visit Deet’s for a cup. Bollo’s Bakery and Café in downtown Blacksburg also features daily specials and will start evening specials from 6-8 p.m., offering a free house mug of coffee or tea with the chosen pastry of the month. October’s pastwry of the month is pie. “The thing that makes us unique is that we’re locally owned and operated downtown,” said Barbara Wright, the pastry manager. “Our coffee is always fresh, and we have a lot of fair trade and organic coffee.” see COFFEE / page 6

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Vest prototype uses radio sensors to prevent hazards RACHAEL WHITTEN news staff writer

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

column

Bye bye, Boehner: What is next for U.S. politics?

he third-in-line to be president of the U.S. based on the succession law of the Constitution, John Boehner (R-OH), just announced his resignation. His resignation is in a great part due to unbridgeable gaps between the moderate Republicans and the far-right Tea Party faction. This announcement is even more of a surprise as it comes amidst a presidential race and another possible government shutdown. Now both parties are revving to counterbalance this move, and the result could be an even wider rift between these two political mountains. Blue or Red, Left or Right, Democrats and Republicans now have to start strategizing for what comes next. Do you hear the mountains moving? Because I do. Republicans will look to elect a successor who can appease both the far right and the moderates of their party – a hefty task to accomplish. On the other hand, Democrats will look to position themselves to snare any Republican or Independent stragglers who are hesitant to be dragged to the far right. Whatever comes next will change the terrain of politics in the U.S. for the foreseeable future. Boehner oversaw four years of congressional gridlock, where both sides engaged in spit fights and rhetoric slapping. When the issue was about guns, the problem divulged into two extremes: mental health, a.k.a don’t do anything about gun ownership, or gun control, a.k.a take the dangerous guns away from people. When the issue was Obamacare, it was either repeal it all because it is socialism or accept it all because it’s the government’s job. When the issue was abortion – well you get where this is going. Overseeing this chasm in Congress was our speaker of the House, John Boehner.

We have a rift, a great divide, between Democrats and Republicans as both sides stand on separate islands with no bridge to connect them. Boehner was meant to act as this bridge while he was speaker of the House, but what he successfully did, and his undoing, was stand on his side of the island and yell “no” to the other side. To his defense, he had a base to appease, and that base only responded to the most extreme of stances. Even though he was a moderate Republican, he was forced to stake his ground on positions that where more ideological and more extreme than practical. Rather than build the bridge that would have fostered solutions, he pushed forward the “No Agenda.” When it came to solving budget issues, Republicans responded with a unanimous “no.” The Iran deal “no,” Obamacare “no,” gun control “no,” highway funding “no,” devise an alternate plan “no” and so on and so on. Turbulence was what he oversaw in his four years as speaker of the House. The turbulence has now blown away any common ground that both parties might have once shared, to the point that they now stand as islands. The turbulence that was fueled by the red rage of the Republican far right, a rage that he found difficult to steer. Despite his tenuous tenure as House speaker, John Boehner was still open to “compromise” – oh that dirty word that the Tea Party faction vehemently opposes. He was open to keeping the government running even though a screaming block to his right insisted that the government shut down. Their rationale for shutting down the entire U.S. government hinged on the desire to defund an organization that assists women in all health matters, including abortion. This is the same

faction that looked back to its ideology of reduced government spending and decided that providing funding for the U.S. highways and infrastructure would compromise its ideology. This is the same ideology that views universal health care as communism, a minimum wage as antifree market and government involvement in education as intrusive. But this same cohort of individuals is willing to trust that corporations will generally do the right thing and should therefore be left to their own devices. Yes, because history has shown how merciful corporations can be when faced with decisions between human lives and profits. These are the members of the Republican caucus who were finally able to frustrate the third most powerful man in the U.S. to step down from his position. The question now concerns what type of ideologue will fill his shoes. Even though he had his differences with the other side, he still met at the same table with his opposition. The current political climate, that is also more tense with the presidential campaign going on, would cast even such a meeting at a common table as compromise – again that word that the Tea Party reviles. Compromise is the bedrock of action in our political system, as the direction we move in is influenced by many voices. Currently though, a small but loud faction in our system has taken compromise as hostage and is able to force our political system to capitulate to its demands. Unfortunately, that’s not how a democracy works, but that seems to be where we are headed.

TOMILAYO KOMOLAFE • regular columnist • Ph.D. student/industrial systems engineering

Housing policies provoke widespread backlash

there is time for workers to safely move out of the way. A bigger problem may be that the site is so noisy that the worker cannot hear the alert. “A possibility for the future is that if there’s a requirement for some type of head gear (for the workers), we can put (the technology) inside of them,” Hines said. Early tests of the technology anticipated a 90 percent success rate for future incidents. Potential methods of warning could be implementing the sound alert inside the worker’s hearing protection, in ear covers or not even using a worker’s sense of sound at all. Real-world trials will be run by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute to test the vests in actual highway traffic environments. The Virginia Department of Transportation has also shown interest in the prototype. Work on radio communication between vehicles and construction infrastructure has begun on Interstate 64 near Fairfax, Virginia, and on Blacksburg’s Virginia Smart Road. The Smart Road would provide closed-course testing. While current funding all comes from within the University, including the College of Engineering, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the Institute for Creativity, Arts and Technology, the research team is reaching out to state and federal branches of the Department of Transportation for additional funds. This money could put the vests in regular use within five years. @CollegiateTimes

COURTESY OF THE BRADLEY SCHOOL OF ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

your views [letter to the editor]

a n o nt r a d it io n a l, 39-year-old Virginia Tech student, the situation with our resident advisers is unacceptable. Nearly every argument brought up by Mr. Dugar screams of the condescension that resident advisors are upset about. With nea rly 20 yea rs of management experience, I would assume that the coverage of gray hours was brought up multiple times. The most efficient solution would be for the office staff to pick up the weekday hours, with resident advisors picking up weekend hours. I would hope that this solution was at least looked at. I would guess that once this suggestion was voiced, it was met with the same unfavorable reaction from staffers. The difference is that Mr. Dugar does not have to look

Researchers at Virginia Tech’s Bradley School of Electrical and Computer Engineering have created prototypes of technology that can be used to save construction workers from potentially fatal roadside accidents. The American Road and Transportation Builders Association records that 579 people were killed in 2013 because of highway workzone related accidents, a problem that the research team is working to combat. The technology uses radio sensors that can be worn on the vests of construction workers and that alerts them of potential hazards. These sensors allow cars to communicate with one another as well as with construction bases and personal mobile phones. Tom Martin, an electrical and computer engineering professor specializing in wearable computing and the head of research on the vest, says that GPS tracking will be installed in all cars in the near future. “In the future, cars are going to have (short-range communication) radios and GPS in them, and they’ll talk to the other cars that are near them, and they’ll use them for collision avoidance,” Martin said. Now Martin, along with Ph.D. student Kristen Hines, is working to shrink that technology down to be able to put it on a person and give them the same level of collision avoidance. At 35 to 40 miles per hour, an alert can give the wearer six or seven seconds to get out of the way. Short-range

communication allows an alert to be sent to both worker and driver the moment danger is detected. Currently, the vest is outfitted with LED lights, speakers and vibrations, and Hines is working on which mode of communication is the most effective. The vest has been named the InZoneAlert vest, and the device has already shrunken from backpack- to cellphonesized. Future designs intend to make the mechanism even smaller. The wearable technology, which uses GPS tracking, could potentially have farreaching uses for other highway workers who risk their lives by nature of their work. For example, rescue workers, policemen and other roadside assistants could benefit from the short-range radio correspondence. Martin stresses the importance of incorporating the technology into already existing equipment. “What you’re always looking for is something that the workers are going to be wearing anyway,” Martin said. Martin began research on the vest in 2013 with former doctorate student Jason Forsyth. Since then, work has continued on the vests, both design-oriented efforts and work to perfect the ways in which the vest alerts its users and motorists. Martin wants to give users an alert that will not startle them but will warn them when a vehicle is coming towards them. Just how to warn the wearers of the vest is the question being tested. Because construction sites can be busy and noisy, the alert must be distinct but not shocking – enough so that

Electrical and computer engineering professor Tom Martin and Ph.D. student Kristen Hines pose with the newest prototype of the construction vest.

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into the angry faces of his RAs each day as he would the office staff. Mr. Dugar seems to fail to realize that his RAs — while presumably the most mature of young adults — are still that: young adults! They should, at the very least, be notified of schedule changes prior to accepting their jobs, not be lured into them like an animal into a trap. Unfortunately this type of attitude seems to permeate a lot of the college offices that I have visited. I always shrugged it off because I’m an adult and have dealt with difficult situations before. This could also be an underlying factor affecting retention rates in other jobs around campus this year. Just something to think about.

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The Collegiate Times, a division of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, was established in 1903 by and for the students of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The Collegiate Times is published every Tuesday through Friday of the academic year except during exams and vacations. The first copy of the Collegiate Times is free, any copy of the paper after that is 50 cents. To order a reprint of a photograph printed in the Collegiate Times, visit reprints.collegemedia.com. The Collegiate Times is a division of the Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to provide educational experience in business and production of mass media for Virginia Tech students. © Collegiate Times, 2015. All rights reserved. Material published in the Collegiate Times is the property thereof, and may not be reprinted without the express written consent of the Collegiate Times.

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RACE: Students prepare to race homemade car from page 1

it’s really cool to be able to go out there and share a part of Virginia Tech.” The car has expanded significantly since its inception and exists as a two-seater vehicle with an estimated completion weight of 2,500 pounds. Most of the car remains unfinished, with many parts that still need to be completed and improved. “There’s a fair amount of engineering work to be done, but the project is already in its final stages,” Alabran said. “We created a prototype, so what we’re doing now is improving issues. I think we have a really good outlook as far as our timeline; it’s very realistic and it’s very accomplishable.” The team hopes to finish the car by the end of the fall semester, leaving the spring for final adjustments and test drives. Many students on the team have experience with vehicles and all share a passion for cars. One student will be chosen among them next semester to drive the car during the race. “It’s the best learning ex p e r i e n c e: getting hands-on experience,” Robinson said. “It teaches me way more than any class could, and I feel like our team has so many experienced people that really know what they’re doing and they’re also very passionate, and it’s just people that are very easy to learn from.” Currently, the team is optimizing suspension and frame designs and is working to integrate headlights, taillights, engine mapping capabilities, GPS tracking and real-time telemetry on digital displays. The team also began working with SOLIDWORKS last week, a 3-D CAD design software. Fueled by donations and sponsorships, last year’s team collected more than $100,000 as well and received physical car parts, including a 2.0-liter EcoBoost motor from a Ford Focus ST with a Weddle Transaxle and suspension level of 20 inches. “If it gets done and we race it, we can show everyone else that we’re such a young team but we managed to get this car done and race it. Hopefully more people will join the team next year and it’ll just continue to grow and be one of those Ware Lab projects that goes on for years,” said Eric Rauchenberger, a member of the chassis and suspension sub-team. “I feel like this team is really committed and everyone seems like they’re really interested in the project as

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a whole, and no one’s just doing it for a grade.” T h is ye a r’s t e a m continues to be active in pursuing sponsors daily, with a goal of $74,000 for this year to cover safety equipment, travel and competition expenses, manufactured components, tools and shop equipment, and raw materials. “It’s going to be a lot of work this year, it’s going to be a lot of time spent, probably more than if we would’ve chosen other projects, but I think it’s also going to be so rewarding that I don’t think the time’s ever going to bother us,” Robinson said. “We’re just going to be really proud that we’re just a small team from Virginia Tech that is racing in a huge race that’s actually televised: people can watch this.” Ashley Anderson, a senior public relations major and member of the marketing sub-team, describes the team as being both hardworking and fun. “Every time I’m in the Ware Lab, there’s somebody in there working hard, making sure they’re staying on schedule for making all the changes that they have to,” Anderson said. “They’re really dedicated, and I would love to see them go and race and get out there and test what they’ve been building.” The team emphasized their welcoming of volunteers and curious students while preparing for busier workloads ahead as the semester progresses. “We’re all a great group of engineers and we love teaching people about vehicles,” Rauchenberger said. “If anyone is interested in coming by and just looking at the car, there’s always someone in the Ware Lab working on it, just because we’re all inspired by what this university has to offer, and we’re all thankful we’re able to do a project like this.” The race, called “Duel in the Desert,” is hosted by Canidae Tap It, and while it is targeted to amateur drivers, it will feature many competitive teams and professionals. The goal for this year’s team will be getting the car to the track and completing the race successfully. “Even right now, I can see that it’s a huge stress relief, and it’s something that’s fun to go do,” Robinson said. “Even though it’s going to take a lot of time away from doing homework and things like that, it’s going to be completely worth it: to be able to say, ‘We built this car, we made it run, we’re the reason that we’re here.’”

Trevor Schmidt: Taking home the bronze in the Air Force Marathon Virginia Tech’s Air Force Detachment 875 represented Hokies proudly at the 2015 Air Force Marathon in Dayton, Ohio, on Sept. 19. Two Virginia Tech cadets placed top five in their age group for the marathon, and even more placed top five in their age group for the half-marathon. The top-performing Virginia Tech cadet, senior math major Trevor Schmidt, finished third place overall out of more than 2,000 runners with a time of 2:52:22. That’s about six and a half minutes per mile. LIBBY HOWE Corps of Cadets beat reporter

The Collegiate Times spoke with Schmidt on his running career and how it has overlapped with his military career. Collegiate Times: How many marathons have you run? Schmidt: This was my seventh marathon. CT: Are they all Air Force marathons? Schmidt: No, I’ve done three Air Force marathons, I ran a Boston when I was a freshman here at college, I’ve done the Marine Corps marathon and the Disney marathon in Orlando. CT: Disney? That sounds awesome. Schmidt: It’s so much fun. CT: How did you get into marathon running? Schmidt: Well, I did cross country in high school, and I actually saw my dad do the Marine Corps marathon in DC. I saw him run it and thought, man, all the sensation or pizazz. When you run cross country there’s not a lot of pomp, but marathons have got a good support and stuff like that and decided I wanted to do it next year. I ran the next one with not a whole lot of training and did pretty good. I was 16 and I ran it in 3 hours and 12 minutes, which is 5 minutes shy of qualifying for Boston. CT: In your very first marathon? Schmidt: Yeah, but I wouldn’t even have been old enough to qualify. CT: So what was your fastest marathon? Schmidt: 2:45 flat. That was the first time I ran the Air Force marathon. CT: Why do you think

that was your fastest time? Schmidt: I hate to give myself an excuse, but I am kind of prone to injury, I don’t know what it is. But that race I didn’t get an injury at all; I felt great. I just breezed through it. But the past two I’ve always had issues early in the race that I’d have to push through. CT: How did you reach this level of running? Schmidt: So if you just run a bunch of miles each week it can be kind of monotonous and boring, as well as not really going to get you a lot of improvement. But if you do cross training, like I bike a lot as well, it’s more fun than running, let’s be honest. So when I’m at home I bike all around NOVA; I go to D.C., I go to Purcellville out west. CT: How far are those bike rides? Schmidt: The farthest I’ll go when I’m training is like 70 miles. Cycling really helps. CT: How did you train for this marathon? Schmidt: A lot of Ultimate Frisbee. This summer I played more Ultimate Frisbee than I’ve ever played in my life. I was at field training this summer as a cadet training assistant so a lot of us, after we put the cadets to bed, we’d go and play Frisbee for hours at night. I’d just be sweating up a storm because I’m in Alabama, right, so it’s super hot. Just playing a lot of Frisbee and then when I got back I, of course, ran a lot more. CT: What does it mean to you to run the Air Force Marathon? Schmidt: To me, when I run a marathon, I think a lot, so I guess when I’m running

a marathon like the Air Force Marathon, I think a lot about the people who can’t run, either due to the fact that they were injured when they were overseas or because they have a disability. I feel really blessed every time I run, and every time I take a step or a stride and it hurts because my legs are killing me after 22 miles, I just think about those people that can’t feel their legs or do what I’m doing. CT: Did you go to the Air Force Museum while you were out there? Schmidt: Of course. CT: Did you go when you were out there for other marathons too? Schmidt: I’ve been to the museum four times, so I’ve finally seen everything. The museum, honestly, it takes definitely two, maybe three hours to go through. It goes through the entire history of aviation right from the Wright brothers’ little plane all the way up to what we have today. CT: Do you have a favorite exhibit? Schmidt: Yeah, one of my favorite sections, that stands out to me the most, is a section with all the Air Force

Medal of Honor recipients. So you go through that and read all their citations and kind of realize where you’re standing; you’re walking in the footsteps of giants. It can make you feel small, but at the same time it can make you feel proud of the heritage. CT: What’s the next marathon you’re going to run? Schmidt: Oh my gosh. I want to run one out in California because I’m getting tired of this crazy weather. No, honest answer though, I’ve always wanted to run the original marathon in Greece. CT: T he or igina l marathon? Schmidt: Well yeah, Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens and announced victory over, I guess the Persians, I can’t really remember, but he shouted victory and then collapsed. So he ran between Marathon and Athens, which was originally 24-something miles. And then he died on the spot. I also think that’d be a great vacation spot. @yourlenny

COURTESY OF AIR FORCE ATTACHMENT 875

Hokies pose for a group picture at the Air Force Marathon in Dayton, Ohio, on Sept. 19, 2015.

COURTESY OF AIR FORCE ATTACHMENT 875 @lauren_pak

Virginia Tech senior Trevor Schmidt crosses the ﬁnish line at the Air Force Marathon to place third overall.

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SILHOUETTE LITERARY AND ART MAGAZINE O u r w ebs i t e i s c o mi ng s o o n ! A nd bo y i s t h i s f a ce li f t lo n g o v er d ue! See y o u s o o n, f r i end s ! V i s i t w w w. s i lh o uet t e. c o llegemed i a. c o m t o s ee w h a t w e’r e u p t o !

Today’s Birthday Horoscope: Maintaining a solid grip on the real world is trickier now that the Moon is playing around in quirky Aquarius. We may be catapulted beyond established boundaries as we choose non-conformity over common sense. But we can’t escape the darker side of interpersonal interactions while retrograde Mercury squares shadowy Pluto, luring us into the mysteries of the unknown. Talking about our feelings seems wise until deeper emotions rise to the surface.

Piled Higher and Deeper by Jorge Cham

xkcd by Randall Munroe

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ACROSS 1 Diagram with axes and coordinates 6 Very top 10 Shift neighbor, on PC keyboards 14 St. __ Girl beer 15 Guard site 16 Nabisco cookie 17 Like stickers that smell when rubbed 20 Buckwheat dish 21 Court order to all 22 Fruit seed 23 Drop-down __ 25 Like some microbrews 27 Little girl’s makeup, so they say 33 Crisp covering 34 Welfare

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38 What cake candles may indicate 35 Firebird roof option 39 On the rocks 42 Bart Simpson’s grandpa 43 See 44-Down 45 City near Colombia’s coastline 46 Leica competitor 48 Terse 51 Sounded sheepish? 53 Pop singer Vannelli 54 “Life of Pi” director Lee 55 Flood preventer

59 Louisiana cuisine 62 Old Glory 66 Words starting many a guess 67 Kind of dancer or boots 68 Atlanta campus 69 “Auld Lang __” 70 Follow the leader 71 Metaphor for time ... and, when divided into three words, puzzle theme found in the four longest across answers

Friday’s Puzzle Solved

DOWN 18 “How many times __ man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn’t see?”: Dylan 19 Freeway hauler 24 Boot from office 26 Work with a cast 27 Natural cut protection 28 Strong desire 29 “Still wrong, take another stab” 30 Alfalfa’s girl 31 Coming down the mountain, perhaps

1 Navig. tool 2 Pool hall triangle 3 Saintly glow 4 Some flat-screen TVs 5 Until now 6 Remnant of an old flame 7 Blacken 8 Prefix with series 9 Remnants 10 Grifter’s specialty 11 Exaggerated response of disbelief 12 Equip anew 13 Towering

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32 Push-up target, briefly 36 Reed instrument 37 Cooped (up) 40 DVD predecessor 41 Catches, as in a net 44 With 43-Across, outstanding 47 Historic Japanese island battle site 49 Partner of 9Down

50 Merriam-Webster ref. 51 Underlying principle 52 Restless 56 “Othello” villain 57 Door opener 58 Periphery 60 Well-versed in 61 Uncool type 63 AAA suggestion 64 Dim sum sauce 65 Part of PBS: Abbr.

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ALL IN FALL WORDSEARCH

Locate the list of words in the word bank in the letter grid

WORD BANK APPLE LEAVES BONFIRE MOUNTAINS BOOTS PUMPKINPATCH CIDER SMORES FLANNEL SQUASH HOTCHOCOLATE SWEATER JACKET WOOD

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Food Truck Rodeo roped in good eats m o T N V rm ts ns e s e p o N In spite of the rainy weather, The Chow Down Downtown Food Truck Rodeo created a unique and delicious environment in downtown Christiansburg for students and locals alike this past Friday, Sept. 24. ANDREA PAPPAS design editor

Over the past few years, society has watched multiple food trends come and go. Students have pined over frozen yogurt bars while social media “foodies” instagrammed their cronuts and cupcakes. As food trends come and go, one fad has stayed true for the past few years: food trucks. On Friday, Sept. 24, Christiansburg participated in the trend at the Chow Down Downtown Food Truck Rodeo. The five-hour event on West Main Street was catered by a variety of food trucks and wineries while live music from local performers, New River Band and Awesomesauce, added to the festival’s serene and relaxed atmosphere. Despite the rain and the chilly September weather, the Food Truck Rodeo drew a lively mixed crowd of young adults, families and students. A tented seating area referred to as the pop-up “Main Street Lounge” allowed for customers to socialize, listen to the bands and enjoy their food and beverages away from the stormy climate. Upon arrival, my eyes were immediately drawn to a small rustic trailer to the immediate left of the Main Street Lounge. With lights strung around the front and chalkboards offering freshly made organic pastries, it was hard to avoid Carpe Donuts. Hailing from Charlottesville, Virginia, Matt Rohdie, CEO and founder of Carpe Donuts, and his wife Jen Downey, the art director, believe in locally produced food and organic ingredients. Everything from the eggs to the spices to the local cider is organic. In fact,

even the frying oil is later converted to environmentally friendly biofuel when it can no longer be used. Selling out of a small red trailer referred to as “Gypsy,” Rohdie and Downey have created a playful environment both inside and out. With string lights and glowing lamps outside the wagon to catch your attention, the smells of fried dough and cinnamon pull you in. I bought just a single donut, but after one bite, I knew it would not be enough. While the outside was crispy and coated in a cinnamon sugar rub, the inside was fluffy and delicate. Partially wanting to just hold the freshly prepared pastry that radiated warmth and comfort in the cold, windy weather, I could not help but scoff it down and continue my way though the festival. After Carpe Donuts, I made my way over to Toasted by Casey, a family-owned business focused primarily on grilled cheese sandwiches and specialty fries, the perfect combination when catering to the students of Virginia Tech and Radford University. Toasted by Casey was the only food truck for which I had a plan of attack: get the Blueberry Brie sweet melt. Having heard about the Blueberry Brie sandwich a couple years ago, my heart was set on trying it. Unfortunately, as I approached the front of the seemingly everlasting line, I learned that the truck was not serving sweet melts at the event. I quickly glanced over the current menu in the few seconds I had before ordering and settled on Momma’s Bacon Pimento Cheese melt, which turned out not to be settling at all. The sandwich consisted of two slices of grilled Texas

ANDREA PAPPAS / COLLEGIATE TIMES

toast with a layer of bacon crumbles and pimento cheese, a spread that is primarily made up of cheddar cheese, mayo and pimento peppers. The bacon crunch added a perfect contrast to the silky pimento blend, and the Texas toast was grilled to perfection. Based on the customers around me in line, Toasted by Casey’s most popular item was another melt called Trippple Threat. The sandwich is made up of seasoned Italian bread, American cheese, marinara sauce and three deep-fried mozzarella sticks layered inside. A customer behind me in line went as far as to call it “the ultimate grilled cheese.” Although disappointed that I could not try the Blueberry Brie, I was still extremely satisfied with my Momma’s Bacon Pimento Cheese, and, of course, the Blueberry Brie is just another excuse to go back. Already content, I finished up my tour for the Chow Down Downtown event at Noke Truck, a business known for the odd combination of tacos and crepes. Juan and Claudia Urrea, originally from Bogota, Colombia, opened Noke Truck in spring of 2012.

Claudia’s passion and background in baking led her to the idea of opening a bakery. However, it was Juan’s idea to start a food truck. Today, they have not only a food truck but also a permanent location called Noke Truck Station at 16 West Marketplace in downtown Roanoke. When placing my order, I found it difficult to choose between a taco or a crepe, so instead I choose the empanada. An empanada is a stuffed pastry, and I filled one of mine with beef and one with chicken. Both meats were seasoned flawlessly and the flaky outside pastry melted in my mouth. As I sat dipping the last of my empanadas in the Noke Truck’s homemade spicy salsa, I looked around at all the food trucks I had disappointingly not been able to try; my stomach simply would not let me. I certainly hope that Christiansburg continues on with the Food Truck Rodeo – this is one fad I am not ready to give up just yet. For more delicious recommendations, follow the author of this article @vtnomnoms on Instagram.

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Watch: Black Mass COFFEE: International Coffee Day arrives just in time for fall season BRADY TICKLE movie columnist

A new movie in which Johnny Depp does not play a pirate or an emo girl’s dream prince? I know it sounds out there, but bear with me because “Black Mass” provides audiences with one of Depp’s most compelling performances in years. On that note, it is somewhat of a disappointment that the movie around his performance is a little lackluster. “Black Mass” follows the true story of notorious South Boston Irish mobster James “Whitey” Bulger, who became a secret informant to the FBI in the 1970s. Although Bulger despised “rats,” he justified this seemingly paradoxical alliance by expanding his criminal empire to heights that would have never been possible without the protection granted to him by the federal government. This sickening relationship allowed Bulger to orchestrate several kinds of illegal activities, from selling drugs to murder, with everything in between. However, when it was decided that Bulger was becoming more of a problem than an asset, the FBI terminated its agreement with him, leading him to flee the country. It was only recently in 2011 that Bulger was captured and brought into custody. While the story screams Oscar-gold, the execution by director Scott Cooper is less than satisfactory. Cooper does not do a bad job by any stretch of the imagination, yet it still feels as if he is going through the motions of what constitutes as an average mobster movie. The film follows Bulger throughout several years of his life, adding just enough drama to keep the movie afloat. However, we never genuinely get to see the emotional impact of these events on the characters. For instance, when the movie depicts the death of

Bulger’s son, we are treated with merely one scene of emotional turmoil followed by a voice-over narration stating that Bulger was never the same, but we never actually see this change. There are other story beats such as this one that are touched upon but never fully explored or resolved. As stated, the performances are stellar. From the very first scene in which we see Depp as Bulger, it is clear that Depp has embodied a completely new character. From the coldly calculating look in his steely blue eyes to his general demeanor, the audience is never quite sure what Bulger is going to do or say. Depp keeps you on the edge of your seat, constantly making you guess whether he is about to commit a horrifying act or simply carry on a polite conversation. Depp adds layers to Bulger that the script does not provide, and he truly deserves an Academy Award nomination for his role. Benedict Cumberbatch, Joel Edgerton, Kevin Bacon and Dakota Johnson also star, with each giving an excellent performance. Indeed, the only actor here who genuinely did not work was Jesse Plemons, who seems to be caught playing the same lackey character in every single show or movie he is in (although admittedly, part of his performance may be attributable to his terrible makeup). Overall, “Black Mass” is an enjoyable enough diversion, elevated greatly by Depp’s chilling performance. While it could have been a much better movie, perhaps in a world in which we make celebrities out of criminals with biopics, it is fitting to have at least some of them be sub-par. I give “Black Mass” three-and-a-half out of five stars. @CollegiateTimes

from page 1

In addition to local roasters, like Red Rooster, and state roasters, like Honduras Coffee, Bollo’s also receives coffee from more distant roasters, like Equal Exchange. Bollo’s offers favorites like pumpkin lattes, espresso drinks and mochas, and it also boasts strong coffee and freshness: the cafe receives coffee shipments multiple times per week. Idego coffee shop, a third-wave coffee shop, also

strives for a strong taste, so inherent flavors of coffee are evident. Paul DeArras, the owner, specializes in fully-developed lighter roasts. Their beans are picked 10-14 months prior to ensure freshness and rotated seasonally. “You still get the taste of the coffee with lighter roasts,” DeArras said. “I have a coffee right now that’s super ripe-black, cherry-tobacco, and you get to taste that without it being a sour or weird cup of

coffee.” A unique trait of Idego coffee, in addition to its source of beans, is that the cafe handcrafts all of its flavorings and almond milk. The pumpkin spice flavoring contains real pumpkin. DeArras explains that another misconception with lighter roasts is that they are not sour if they are fully developed. This past summer, DeArras and his family packed up and went on a two-week road trip around the country, stopping in coffee landmarks including New York City and Los Angeles. After returning, DeArras applied what he’d learned to his own coffee shop and found that he preferred Idego’s own mocha. “We really want to focus what we do so that what we do is at a high level. Instead of doing a bunch of things okay, we do a few things very well,” he said. “There’s a lot of good coffee out there, and we wanted to recalibrate some of the things we’re doing based on that.” Back on-campus but not yet available through the FLEX portion of Hokie passports, EspressOasis is a chain coffee shop with more than 12 locations in hospitals and universities. The cafe ensures its freshness by brewing espressos two weeks prior to arrival and throwing them out after three weeks. Offering more than 40 flavors, from lemon to PHOTO ILLUSTRATION white chocolate to banana, BY BEN WEIDLICH EspressOasis is able to International Coffee Day create more than 200 varicomes just after the ations and rotate its flavors start of the fall season, seasonally. Some of its fall drink specials include on Oct. 1. a pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin spice mocha,

harvest chai, banana bread latte, toffee nut mocha and blended cider lattes. Customer favor ites include the mocha Milano, which is a mix of chocolate, hazelnut and caramel, and the “Walter White” and “Frank Underwood,” which are nicknames for a blackberry mocha and a redeye Irish crème, respectively. “I think it’s a great community that coffee provides for us,” said Jennifer Barber, a senior biolog y a nd a n i ma l poultry sciences major and the general manager at EspressOasis. “I would definitely consider myself a coffee enthusiast, not only for the coffee but for the community it brings.” Barber usually opens the shop in the mornings and looks forward to the smell of coffee to start her day. “I love that I can provide that to people and that everyone is always happy to see me, and I can provide something that’s such a necessity for the setting I’m in, for college,” Barber said. “So many people come up to me in desperation like, ‘I need caffeine,’ and I’m like, ‘You’re at the right place.’” But no matter the weather or time of day, international coffee day is an excuse for coffee aficionados and newcomers alike to celebrate their love of their choice (safe and legal) drug by indulging – in liberal doses, of course. “I’m a big coffee addict,” McKenna said. “I like that it’s bitter, but it can also be sweet with a little sugar in it. It’s just a comforting drink. Whenever you have coffee, you feel at home.”

@lauren_pak

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Volleyball splits pair of weekend ACC matches JOSH WILETS volleyball beat reporter

This past weekend, the Virginia Tech women’s volleyball team split a pair of ACC matches at Cassell Coliseum. They were defeated by UNC on Friday 1-3 (16-25, 28-26, 15-25 and 7-25) and then shut down NC State on Sunday afternoon 3-1 (15-25, 25-13, 25-23, 26-24.) UNC dominated Tech almost the whole match. In the first set, the Tar Heels went on a 5-1 run early. Virginia Tech pulled to within two points, but North Carolina responded with a 7-0 run to expand its lead to 17-8. UNC senior Victoria McPherson tallied six kills in the first set, playing an important role in contributing to the .429 attack percentage that UNC owned in the first set. In the second set, the scoring went back-and-forth for most of the set. Virginia Tech pulled away on a 7-1 run and closed the set on three straight points. Rhegan Mitchell had 14 assists in the second set for Virginia Tech. UNC was done in by their attack errors, committing seven errors in the set. The third and fourth set were taken by the Tar Heels fairly easily. The Hokies scored only seven times in the last set, having a -0.333 attack percentage for the set. “They came out and were just more disciplined than we were,” head coach Chris Riley said. “We made way too many attack errors to beat a good team like that.” Lindsey Owens struggled for the Hokies, tallying just six kills and committing nine errors, leading to a -0.088 attack percentage.

September 29, 2015 PAGE 7

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Amanda McKinzie recorded a double-double, tallying 13 kills and 11 digs in the match. Mitchell continued to impress, finishing with 29 assists in the match. Consistency was an issue for the Hokies, who showed flashes but were unable to take advantage. “We’ve got to be more consistent with the way we’re playing. We’re making poor choices,” Riley said. “We had some opportunities, and we didn’t capitalize.” On Sunday, the Hokies rebounded, defeating NC State 3-1. This was the first ACC win of the season for the Hokies. Freshman Alex Toben made her first collegiate start against the Wolfpack, recording three assists and seven digs in her debut. “I was really excited,” Toben said. “It was a really big deal for me, and I’ve been looking forward to it for a really long time.” In the first set, NC State went on an 8-1 run, propelling the team to win the set. NC State junior Maggie Speaks racked up 10 assists in the first set, and Rachel Eppley tacked on eight digs. The second set went to the Hokies, who went on an 11-3 expanded run. Tech owned an attack percentage of .583 in the set, overwhelming NC State, which recorded just a .074 attack percentage. In the third set, the scoring went back and forth until the Hokies went on a 6-1 run to help finish off the Wolfpack in the third set. Mitchell added 13 more assists in the third set, matching the total tallied in the set by Speaks for NC State. The Hokies and Wolfpack were dueling almost the

ACC conference play crucial for women’s soccer SIERRA HUCKFELDT sports editor

ZOE SCOPA / COLLEGIATE TIMES

Junior outside hitter Lindsey Owens (1) prepares to spike the ball during a game against NC State. whole way in the fourth set. A 7-1 Virginia Tech run late in the set kept the Hokies in the match, guiding them to the win. “I don’t think we ever give up. You have to be willing to play with that energy, and you’ve got to be able to do it every point,” Riley said. Owens struggled early for the Hokies but held her own in the last two sets, finishing with 15 kills and eight digs. Mitchell finished the match with a total of 44 assists and a .429 attack percentage. Despite committing four more errors than the Wolfpack, the Hokies were

able to pull away and take advantage of opportunities against NC State. Jalia Tolbert proved to be somewhat of an X-Factor for the Hokies, having an attack percentage of .545. “I thought we brought Jaila in and she did a very good job, she gave us stability and versatility,” Riley said. Virginia Tech returns to Cassell this week where the Hokies will face the Pittsburgh Panthers at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30. @josh_wilets

After playing 12 games of the regular season, the Virginia Tech women’s soccer team has had an impressive run. Going 10-1-1, the Hokies have been able to remain nationally ranked throughout the season, ranging from No. 13 to No. 9. This next stretch of games for them will be the most important for the Hokies, however. They will play 10 consecutive conference games, whose outcomes will determine the Hokies’ spot for the ACC Tournament in November. Tech’s first conference game of the season was against No. 3 North Carolina, which is currently undefeated in the ACC. A tough 2-1 loss to them put the Hokies in an undesirable spot. However, the Hokies battled back and won their next two games against ACC teams N.C. State and Syracuse. Virginia Tech’s talent and aggressive offense make the team extremely competitive, and these traits have earned it the record it currently holds. Junior forward Murielle Tiernan has been a crucial element to the success of the team. Scoring nine of the Hokies’ 27 goals so far this season, her smart shots and controlled ball handling have allowed her to have a .250 shot percentage. Earlier in the season, Tiernan was named the ESPNW National Player of the Week and ACC Offensive Player of the Week. She broke the goal record for the team this season against Longwood, when she scored her 30th career goal. Alongside Tiernan is senior Ashley Meier. Starting all 12 games this season, the experienced midfielder has scored

HOKIES: Recent mediocrity raises deeper concerns from page 1

Instead, Virginia Tech dropped its second game in as many seasons to East Carolina. There are injury issues throughout the lineup, and there is some serious concern about their chances to make a bowl game among national experts. Bea mer’s com ment is very old-school, but college football is no longer about just winning your conference. Losing nonconference games guarantees yourself zero chance of winning a national title. Isn’t that the whole point of playing? Frank Beamer and the Hokies better find some

answers, quickly. The wheels are beginning to fall off, and if the current downward spiral of the last three seasons continues, then it won’t matter what Beamer has done for this program. What will matter is that under Beamer’s watch, Virginia Tech has fallen from being a national power and contender to a mediocre team in a mediocre conference. This upcoming game against Pittsburgh is of utmost importance for Virginia Tech. Without a win, things are only going to get messier.

six goals of her own this year and is responsible for four assists. Consistent pressure from these two women, along with attackers Laila Gray and Alani Johnson, have made Virginia Tech’s offense a real powerhouse, something with which many of its opponents seem to struggle. As a team, the Hokies are outscoring and outshooting their opponents. They average 2.25 goals per game, compared to their opponents who average 0.92. Tech is taking 16.7 shots per game, which is double its opponents 8.5 per game, and has allowed just 11 goals against it as opposed to 27 in its favor. On the defensive side, the Hokies have had two goalies this semester. Sophomore goalkeeper Kaylyn Smith has been very average in the net, allowing nine goals in 12 games this season and giving her a .780 save percentage. Head coach Chugger Adair has had a lot of confidence in Smith after a successful 2014 season, making her the starting goalie in her second year on the team. The second-string goalie for the Hokies is redshirt sophomore Blayne Fink. She has played in two games this season and has allowed two goals. Only playing in one game last season, Fink needs more time to get comfortable in a game environment, which has been difficult with Smith securing the starting spot. It is clear that Tech’s offense overpowers its defense in the ACC. Virginia Tech ranks fourth in goals and sixth in shots, while ranking 10th in saves ninth in goals allowed. Looking at the remaining games of the season, Tech will have to play up to both Florida State and Pittsburgh. Virginia Tech has never beaten Florida State, which currently sits at 2-0-1 in the conference and is ranked third in the ACC. Pittsburgh is undefeated in the ACC and sits behind North Carolina at second place in the ACC. The games against Miami and Duke should be no problem for the Hokies, as they both sit in the bottom of the ACC. On the other hand, Wakeforest, Clemson and Notre Dame all have records similar to Virginia Tech. It is very important that the Hokies do not let any of these games get away from them or else they could see their ranking fall very quickly. The Virginia Tech women’s soccer team has the ability to stay very competitive in the ACC, dependent on remaining consistently aggressive and smart for the last leg of the season. The Hokies’ next game is on the road against Duke on Oct. 4 at 2 p.m. The Blue Devils are currently 0-1-2 in the ACC and 6-3-3 overall.

BEN WEIDLICH / COLLEGIATE TIMES @RickyLablue

Women’s soccer players celebrate Murielle Tiernan’s (20) goal versus UNC.

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PAGE 8 September 29, 2015

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Master plan gathers pedestrian data from smartphones The Department of Parking and Transportation collects pedestrian and cyclist data from the free VT MOVES app to develop its master plan in 2016. LEWIS MILLHOLLAND news editor

The Depar tment of Parking and Transportation is tapping into a previously untouched resource to develop its master plan: people on their smartphones. The new Virginia Tech MOVES app collects geospatial data from pedestrians and bicyclists to improve safety, reduce traffic congestion and ease the flow of movement across campus. The app is free and available for both Android and iOS devices. It should be familiar to anyone who uses MapMyRun or MapMyRide — at the start of a trip the user taps “Start,” and the app collects data on location and speed. The trip information is sent in once the user presses “Finish.” VHB, the company that created the app, previously launched a similar one at James Madison University. “Students love challenges, right? One of the things that our consultants said is that when they did the traffic study at JMU, they had 6,000 sets of data presented to them through the app,” said Director of Transportation Planning Steve Mouras. “We’re challenging Virginia Tech to do better. We said yeah, we can kick the Duke’s butt.” Approximately every 10 years Virginia Tech implements a new Parking and Transportation Master Plan. The newest plan is expected to be completed in spring 2016, 14 years after its predecessor. Until then, Tech is collecting and aggregating

data to assist in the planning phase. “We have the means to gather a lot of information about vehicles. That’s a refined process that VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation) has been

“

We’re challenging Virginia Tech to do better. We said yeah, we can kick the Duke’s butt.” Steve Mouras Director of Transportation Planning

doing for years and years and years,” Mouras said. Workers with clipboards on street corners counting cars. Analyzing GPS data from buses. Reviewing accident reports. Downloading information straight from the VDOT website. If the Department of Parking and Transportation needs information on vehicle behavior, they know how to get it. “Our challenge (is) when we come to pedestrians and bicyclists. There is not really an easy, efficient way to get that data,” Mouras said. “When we do analysis, that’s a void in our data collection.” VT MOVES fills that void. The travel data, when overlaid with traffic and accident reports, provides insight into conflict points and choke points. “Right now if we went to my colleagues over in the Alternative Transportation

office, Debby Freed (in particular), and ask, ‘What are your heavy-use routes, what are your light-use routes?’ She would essentially say ‘Well, I think they’re x, y and z,’ based on anecdotal information,” Mouras said. “Now we can say, very emphatically, we have this information and we know with a high degree of certainty that there are a lot of people who are transiting this thing.” Alternative Transportation, a division of the Department of Parking and Transportation, focuses its efforts on promoting travel means other than driving. “I think we touch every student on the campus, from the time that students move in as freshmen and have to get to the Math Emporium for a class,” said Debby Freed, alternative transportation manager. “Everybody has access to alternative modes of transportation, and I think they are good for the environment, and I think they are also a less expensive way of commuting to and from the campus.” In recent years the University has placed an increasing focus on pedestrian and bicycle travel. A prime example is the upgrades to the Drillfield, with new medians and increased lighting along the crosswalks. If VT MOVES gains traction with the student body, it will be a boon for further improvements. “We were talking to the police department, and they were saying that maybe what they want to do is one football game (and) encourage everybody that is coming to

the game to download the app and activate it,” Mouras said. That potential trove of data appeals to a safety perspective. Tracking how people are flowing and what routes they take can be invaluable to the police. Chief of Police Kevin Foust serves on the steering committee for the Parking and Transportation Master Plan. “We’re all very excited about the future growth here at Virginia Tech, and we want to get it right the first time,” Foust said. “The more tools we have to get it right the first time, the better the growth is going to be.” The Master Plan’s website, vt-ptmp.com, features an interactive map that allows users to drop pins to point out car, pedestrian, bicycle or transit issues. The issues can be categorized as current issues, future opportunities or potential quick fixes. “If there are concerns out there from the community, that’s our job: we need to hear them, and we need to address them,” Foust said. “And I really, really encourage people to participate in this project because this will be a major factor in helping the University to determine not only our future growth but how we’re going to handle movement of traffic, pedestrians (and) bikes in the safest way we can in the future.” With master plans rolling out every 10 years, the fact that the upcoming iteration directly incorporates pedestrian and cyclist data is historic. Students who opt in and use the app have the opportunity to play a part in

COURTEST OF THE VIRGINIA TECH MOVES APP

At the beginning of their trip, users tap “Start” and the VTMOVES app records geospatial data during the trip. the planning process that has never before been available. Of course, for their input to be received, students have to use the app. “If folks don’t participate and they don’t like what comes out later on, I have a lot less sympathy for someone who doesn’t participate in the process and then criticizes it later,” Foust said. Since the app asks for no personal information besides location, Foust did not recognize any potential security concerns with using the app. VHB was unavailable for comment. C u r r e n t ly, Mouras reported that that app has 35 users who have recorded over 90 trips so far. These decennial master plans are mapped out to best

serve the campus community. If the focus is cars, Tech can cut into walking space and add small parking lots around campus. If the focus is pedestrians, roads can be narrowed and moved outside of the campus proper. Determining what type of campus Hokies want to have is what makes this planning phase for the new master plan so crucial. “I can design it for you any way you want,” Mouras said. “It’s this balance — how much of what do we want. So that’s the reason we’re talking to the community. As an engineer or an architect or a planner like myself ... I really need input from folks.” @WithTheFancyGuy